21-08-2009

At a presentation that took place during Nike’s grassroots activities in Akron, James Hayden gave James an uniquely designed pair of Air Max LeBron VII shoes. James Hayden is a 34-year-old certified tattoo artist, born in Cleveland Ohio. Mother Maureen Hayden helped hone his artistic skills from day one, which gave Hayden a true love for the visual arts. Hayden attended many art programs and classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art from ages 8-15, and furthered his art education at Cleveland Heights High School. In 2000, Hayden began to explore the art of tattooing, which soon after took off as a career. He opened his first tattoo shop in Cleveland Ohio in 2005. Hayden has built a great reputation as a tattoo artist by doing quality work and has tattooed many athletes including LeBron James. Hayden has continued to grow as an artist and is always interested in sharing his love for art with others. “My inspiration to design these shoes was driven by LeBron’s tattoos,” says Hayden. “As a tattoo artist, it’s such an honor to tattoo an individual like LeBron. He’s a very focused person on and off the court – his love for family and his loyalty to his city are shown repeatedly in his tattoos. I wanted to replicate his dedication wtihin the design on the shoes.” We previewed three upcoming artist VII’s and the Akron edition seems to be the most appealing among the six that’s been unveiled thus far. Don’t you agree?